Text to 911 Live in Some Places Thanks to Marlee Matlin & Others

After campaigns from advocates including help from Marlee Matlin Text-to-911 is now live allowing those who can't call 911 to text in some places.

Text-to-911 is not live in all cities and in most cases, you'll get a text message back that asks you to call 911. When Text-to-911 is fully deployed, you can send the text message with your physical address and the nature of the emergency, such as "send ambulance, serious car accident."

911 operators usually have questions to ask about the situation. If a criminal is present, please remember to shut off all audio for when you get a return text message.

People with illnesses who know they may need medical help, may want to save text messages with some standard phrases to speed up the process.

For example, "I'm on heart medication with the name of the medication, my doctors name is."

We also think it is a good idea to have your doctor's phone number in your phone, clearly listed as doctor.

Some counties in some states now offer Text-to-911 including Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Then you have check if your county supports your carrier.

The FCC reports that the system will be available in all the United States by December 31, 2014.